Chapter 23: Shadows of the Past

With the forest barely healing after the victory over the Dark Guardian, the place fell into an odd sort of silence. It felt like we barely scratched the surface of something so much greater-a darkness not even close to this one that had wounded the tree. I looked toward Ember and Silvermane, and they were quite tired, too, but determined. Their eyes reflected that very doubt in me.

The System had fallen silent after the battle, almost as if it, too, was processing what had just occurred. I'd grown accustomed to its announcements, its chimes echoing in my mind like a cold, distant observer, but now… silence.

"We might have cleared the corruption from here, but something feels undone," Ember whispered back, her golden eyes peering at the shadows that hung obstinately at the edges of the forest. "It's like it's just drawn back, still waiting for another opportunity to strike.